The present invention is directed to decorating devices for the ends or tips of laces.
Over the ages, it has been common to decorate shoes with various devices. Children in particular are attracted to for the central region of a shoe, retained by the shoelace, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,805,270 (Kimbrough), 4,485,529 (Blum), 3,473,198 (Meier) and 3,066,370 (Epstein). Each of these devices perform both a decorative function and a shoelace retaining function. Still another shoelace retaining arrangement but without a decorative arrangement is depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 3,500,508 (Bennett).
U.S. Pat. No. 2,612,135 (Iny) teaches an arrangement for attaching a bell to the end of a shoelace as a decorative device. The bell is retained on the end of the shoelace by a ball-like member 28 formed of a thermoplastic material. Member 28 is applied by heating to soften same and is then affixed to the end of the shoelace. This arrangement is cumbersome and difficult for young child to execute. Design U.S. Pat. No. 292,442 (Wadsworth) discloses a shoe decoration in the shape of the face of a character and formed with a bore therethrough. The precise method of using or affixing this structure is not clear.
None of the prior art arrangements satisfy the need for a shoelace decorating device suitable for decorating only the tips of the laces and which are readily applied and removed. By providing such an arrangement, the utility and play value of the shoelace decorating device is enhanced, since the user can have a plurality of sets of such devices and alter them as the user pleases.